@article {4291, title = {Time generalization of trajectories learned on articulated soft robots}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {5}, year = {2020}, pages = {3493{\textendash}3500}, author = {Angelini, Franco and Mengacci, Riccardo and Della Santina, Cosimo and Catalano, Manuel G and Garabini, Manolo and Bicchi, Antonio and Grioli, Giorgio} } @conference {4320, title = {Towards a Myoelectric Prosthetic Wrist with Rigid and Compliant Behaviour}, booktitle = {International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation}, year = {2020}, month = {10/2020}, pages = {489-493}, abstract = {

The simple kinematics of commercial prosthetic wrists limits the individuals in performing a wide range of tasks and restore natural motor functions. We propose a functional prosthesis that improves grasping capabilities through the addition of a simple yet useful 3 DoF myoelectric wrist joint with compliant and rigid properties. Its locking capability enables the adjustment of hand configuration in pre-grasping phases and separates the hand motion from the wrist motion. The proposed wrist, combined with a prosthetic hand, was tested with 8 able-bodied subjects and 1 subject with limb loss. It was compared to a common commercial rotational wrist and to subjects{\textquoteright} natural wrist. Results evidence the feasibility of the prototype, improved performance capabilities, and the subjects{\textquoteright} first impression about the proposed system. Finally, a prosthesis user tested and compared systems during Activities of Daily Living (ADL).

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70316-5_78}, url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-70316-5_78}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and Piazza, Cristina and Grioli, Giorgio and Bicchi, Antonio and Catalano, Manuel G.} } @conference {4319, title = {Towards More Natural Transradial Bionic Limbs}, booktitle = {I-RIM}, year = {2020}, month = {12/2020}, abstract = {

Based on previous experience with prosthesis users and literature, this paper introduces three important aspects to further develop functional transradial myoelectric prostheses: stiffness modulation, grasp reliability and limb dexterity. In particular, we propose three possible solutions and discuss on the insights observed about the exploration of impedance control in prosthetic hands during Activities of Daily Living and social interaction, the introduction of an articulated palm to increase all hand parts contribution in grasping, and a compact 3 DoF myoelectric wrist capable to switch from compliant to rigid properties during pre-grasping phase to decrease compensatory movements and favour more natural body postures in prosthesis users.

}, keywords = {Bionic Limbs, Myoelectric control, Soft-robotics, Upper-limb prostheses}, url = {https://i-rim.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/I-RIM_2020_paper_144.pdf}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and Catalano, Manuel G. and Grioli, Giorgio and Piazza, Cristina and Bicchi, Antonio} } @conference {4298, title = {Trajectory tracking of a one-link flexible arm via iterative learning control}, booktitle = {2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)}, year = {2020}, pages = {7579{\textendash}7586}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, author = {Pierallini, Michele and Angelini, Franco and Mengacci, Riccardo and Palleschi, Alessandro and Bicchi, Antonio and Garabini, Manolo} } @article {3677, title = {On the time-invariance properties of upper limb synergies}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering }, year = {2019}, month = {07/2019}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2019.2918311}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31135365}, author = {G. Averta and G. Valenza and V. Catrambone and F. Barontini and E. P. Scilingo and A. Bicchi and M. Bianchi} } @article {3710, title = {Touch as an auxiliary proprioceptive cue for movement control}, journal = {Indian Journal of Pure and Applied Physics }, year = {2019}, author = {A. Moscatelli and M. Bianchi and S. Ciotti and G. C. Bettelani and C. V. Parise and F. Lacquaniti and A. Bicchi} } @proceedings {3698, title = {Towards the Design of Robotic Drivers for Full-Scale Self-Driving Racing Cars}, year = {2019}, author = {D. Caporale and A Settimi and F. Massa and F. Amerotti and A. Corti and A. Fagiolini and M. Guiggiani and A. Bicchi and L. Pallottino} } @conference {3683, title = {Touch-Based Grasp Primitives for Soft Hands: Applications to Human-to-Robot Handover Tasks and Beyond}, booktitle = {2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)}, year = {2018}, author = {M. Bianchi and G. Averta and E. Battaglia and C. Rosales and M. Bonilla and A. Tondo and M. Poggiani and G. Santaera and S. Ciotti and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @article {3366, title = {Towards Dexterous Manipulation with Augmented Adaptive Synergies: the Pisa/IIT SoftHand 2}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Robotics}, volume = {Early Access}, year = {2018}, month = {06/2018 }, type = {Regular Paper}, abstract = {

In the recent years, a clear trend towards simplification emerged in the development of robotic hands. The use of soft robotic approaches has been a useful tool in this prospective, enabling complexity reduction by embodying part of grasping intelligence in the hand mechanical structure. Several hand prototypes designed according to such principles have accomplished good results in terms of grasping simplicity, robustness, and reliability. Among them, the Pisa/IIT SoftHand demonstrated the feasibility of a large variety of grasping tasks, by means of only one actuator and an opportunely designed tendon driven differential mechanism. However, the use of a single degree of actuation prevents the execution of more complex tasks, like fine pre-shaping of fingers and in-hand manipulation. While possible in theory, simply doubling the Pisa/IIT SoftHand actuation system has several disadvantages, e.g. in terms of space and mechanical complexity. To overcome these limitations we propose a novel design framework for tendon driven mechanisms, where the main idea is to turn transmission friction from a disturbance into a design tool. In this way the degrees of actuation can be doubled with little additional complexity.

By leveraging on this idea we design a novel robotic hand, the Pisa/IIT SoftHand 2. We present here its design, modeling, control, and experimental validation. The hand demonstrates that by opportunely combining only two degrees of actuation with hand softness, a large variety of grasping and manipulation tasks can be performed only relying on the intelligence embodied in the mechanism. Examples include rotating objects with different shapes, opening a jar, pouring coffee from a glass.

}, issn = {Print 1552-3098; Onlline 1941-0468}, author = {C. Della Santina and C. Piazza and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3122, title = {Tactile Slip and Hand Displacement: Bending Hand Motion with Tactile Illusions}, booktitle = {IEEE World Haptic Conference}, year = {2017}, note = {

\ This work is supported in part by the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands{\textquotedblright} no. ERC-291166, by the EU H2020 project {\textquotedblleft}SOFTPRO: Synergy-based Open-source Foundations and Technologies for Prosthetics and RehabilitatiOn{\textquotedblright} (no. 688857) and by the EU FP7 project (no. 601165), {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots (WEARHAP){\textquotedblright}. We thank Priscilla Balestrucci and Colleen P. Ryan for helpful comments and suggestions.

}, month = {06/2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {F{\"u}rstenfeldbruck (Munich), Germany, June 6-9, 2017}, abstract = {

Touch provides an important cue to perceive the physical properties of the external objects. Recent studies showed that tactile sensation also contributes to our sense of hand position and displacement in perceptual tasks. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that, sliding our hand over a stationary surface, tactile motion may provide a feedback for guiding hand trajectory. We asked participants to touch a plate having parallel ridges at different orientations and to perform a self-paced, straight movement of the hand. In our daily-life experience, tactile slip motion is equal and opposite to hand motion. Here, we used a well-established perceptual illusion to dissociate, in a controlled manner, the two motion estimates. According to previous studies, this stimulus produces a bias in the perceived direction of tactile motion, predicted by tactile flow model. We showed a systematic deviation in the movement of the hand towards a direction opposite to the one predicted by tactile flow, supporting the hypothesis that touch contributes to motor control of the hand. We suggested a model where the perceived hand motion is equal to a weighted sum of the estimate from classical proprioceptive cues (e.g., from musculoskeletal system) and the estimate from tactile slip.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {M. Bianchi and A. Moscatelli and S. Ciotti and G. C. Bettelani and F. Fioretti and F. Lacquaniti and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3156, title = {Tele-Impedance with Force Feedback under Communication Time Delay}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS2017)}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Vancouver, Canada, September 24{\textendash}28, 2017}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {M. Laghi and A. Ajoudani and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @proceedings {2992, title = {Towards Minimum-Information Adaptive Controllers for Robot Manipulators}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, address = {May 24{\textendash}26 2017, Seattle USA}, abstract = {

The aim of this paper is to move a step in the direction of determining the minimum amount of information needed to control a robot manipulator within the framework of adaptive control. Recent innovations in the state of the art show how global asymptotic trajectory tracking can be achieved despite the presence of uncertainties in the kinematic and dynamic models of the robot. However, a clear distinction between
which parameters can be included among the uncertainties, and which parameters can not, has not been drawn yet. Since most of the adaptive control algorithms are built on linearly parameterized models, we propose to reformulate the problem as finding a procedure to determine whether and how a given dynamical system can be linearly parameterized with respect to a specific set of parameters.
Within this framework, we show how the trajectory tracking problem of a manipulator can be accomplished with the only knowledge of the number of joints of the manipulator. As an illustrative example, we present the end-effector trajectory tracking control of a robot initialized with the kinematic model of a different robot.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.23919/ACC.2017.7963602}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7963602}, author = {T. Marcucci and C. Della Santina and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2820, title = {Tactile Augmented Reality for Arteries Palpation in Open Surgery Training}, booktitle = {7th International Conference, MIAR 2016}, volume = {Medical Imaging and Augmented Reality - Volume 9805 of the series Lecture Notes in Computer Science }, year = {2016}, pages = {186-197}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, address = {Bern, Switzerland, August 24-26, 2016}, abstract = {

Palpation is an essential step of several open surgical procedures for locating arteries by arterial pulse detection. In this context, surgical simulation would ideally provide realistic haptic sensations to the operator. This paper presents a proof of concept implementation of tactile augmented reality for open-surgery training. The system is based on the integration of a wearable tactile device into an augmented physical simulator which allows the real time tracking of artery reproductions and the user finger and provides pulse feedback during palpation. Preliminary qualitative test showed a general consensus among surgeons regarding the realism of the arterial pulse feedback and the usefulness of tactile augmented reality in open-surgery simulators.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, isbn = {978-3-319-43774-3}, author = {S. Condino and R. Vigliaoro and M. Bianchi and Morelli, L and M. Ferrari and A. Bicchi and V. Ferrari} } @inbook {3155, title = {Teleimpedance Control: Overview and application}, booktitle = {Human and Robot Hands }, volume = {Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems}, year = {2016}, pages = {151-169}, chapter = {9}, abstract = {

In previous chapters, human hand and arm kinematics have been analyzed through a synergstic approach and the underlying concepts were used to design robotic systems and devise simplified control algorithms. On the other hand, it is well-known that synergies can be studied also at a muscular level as a coordinated activation of multiple muscles acting as a single unit to generate different movements. As a result, muscular activations, quantified through Electromyography (EMG) signals can be then processed and used as direct inputs to external devices with a large number of DOFs. In this chapter, we present a minimalistic approach based on tele-impedance control, where EMGs from only one pair of antagonistic muscle pair are used to map the users postural and stiffness references to the synergy-driven anthropomorphic robotic hand, described in chapter 6. In this direction, we first provide an overview of the teleimpedance control concept which forms the basis for the development of the hand controller. Eventually, experimental results evaluate the effectiveness of the teleimpedance control concept in execution of the tasks which require significant dynamics variation or are executed in remote environments with dynamic uncertainties.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {978-3-319-26705-0}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-26706-7}, author = {A. Ajoudani and S. B. Godfrey and N. G. Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @article {2544, title = {ThimbleSense: a fingertip-wearable tactile sensor for grasp analysis}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Haptics}, volume = {9}, year = {2016}, note = {
This work was partially supported by the European Community funded projects WEARHAP, PACMAN and SOMA (contracts 601165, 600918 and 645599 respectively), by the ERC Advanced Grant no. 291166 SoftHands
}, month = {03/2016}, pages = {121-133}, abstract = {

Accurate measurement of contact forces between hand and grasped objects is crucial to study sensorimotor control during grasp and manipulation. In this work we introduce ThimbleSense, a prototype of individual-digit wearable force/torque sensor based on the principle of intrinsic tactile sensing. By exploiting the integration of this approach with an active marker-based motion capture system, the proposed device simultaneously measures absolute position and orientation of the fingertip, which in turn yields measurements of contacts and force components expressed in a global reference frame. The main advantage of this approach with respect to more conventional solutions is its versatility. Specifically, ThimbleSense can be used to study grasping and manipulation of a wide variety of objects, while still retaining complete force/torque measurements. Nevertheless, validation of the proposed device is a necessary step before it can be used for experimental purposes. In this work we present the results of a series of experiments designed to validate the accuracy of ThimbleSense measurements and evaluate the effects of distortion of tactile afferent inputs caused by the device{\textquoteright}s rigid shells on grasp forces.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {1939-1412}, doi = {10.1109/TOH.2015.2482478}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7294702}, author = {E. Battaglia and M. Bianchi and Altobelli, A and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and A. Serio and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2881, title = {Toward an Adaptive Foot for Natural Walking}, booktitle = {International Conference on Humanoid Robots (HUMANOIDS2016)}, year = {2016}, address = {Cancun, Mexico, November 15-17, 2016}, abstract = {

Many walking robot presented in literature stand
on rigid flat feet, with a few notable exceptions that embed
flexibility in their feet to optimize the energetic cost of walking.
This paper proposes a novel adaptive robot foot design, whose
main goal is to ease the task of standing and walking on uneven
terrains. After explaining the rationale behind our design
approach, we present the design of the SoftFoot, a foot able
to comply with uneven terrains and to absorb shocks thanks to
its intrinsic adaptivity, while still being able to rigidly support
the stance, maintaining a rather extended contact surface,
and effectively enlarging the equivalent support polygon. The
paper introduces the robot design and prototype and presents
preliminary validation and comparison versus a rigid flat foot
with comparable footprint and sole.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2016.7803423}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7803423}, author = {C. Piazza and C. Della Santina and Gasparri, G. M. and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and M. Garabini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2883, title = {Toward whole-body loco-manipulation: Experimental results on multi-contact interaction with the Walk-Man robot}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2016)}, year = {2016}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Danjeon, Korea, October 10-14 2016}, abstract = {

In this paper a quasi-static framework for optimally controlling the contact force distribution is experimentally verified with the full-size compliant humanoid robot Walk-Man. The proposed approach is general enough to cope with multi-contact scenarios, i.e. robot-environment interactions occurring on feet and hands, up to the more general case of whole-body loco-manipulation, in which the robot is in contact with the environment also with the internal limbs, with a consequent loss of contact force controllability. Experimental tests were conducted with the Walk-Man robot (i) standing on flat terrain, (ii) standing on uneven terrain and (iii) interacting with the environment with both feet and a hand touching a vertical wall. Moreover, the influence of unmodeled weight on the robot, and the combination with a higher priority Cartesian tasks are shown. Results are presented also in the attached video.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2016.7759225}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7759225}, author = {E. Farnioli and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2898, title = {Towards a Novel Generation of Haptic and Robotic Interfaces: Integrating A ective Physiology in Human-Robot Interaction}, booktitle = {IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) 2016.}, year = {2016}, note = {
This work is supported in part by the European Re-
search Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A
Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial
Hands{\textquotedblright} (no. ERC-291166), by the EU FP7 project {\textquotedblleft}WEAR-
able HAPtics for Humans and Robots (WEARHAP){\textquotedblright} (no.
601165) and by the EU H2020 project {\textquotedblleft}SoftPro: Synergy-
based Open-source Foundations and Technologies for Pros-
thetics and RehabilitatiOn{\textquotedblright} (H2020-ICT-688857).
}, address = {New York, August 26-31, 2016}, doi = {10.1109/ROMAN.2016.7745100}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7745100}, author = {M. Bianchi and G. Valenza and A. Greco and M. Nardelli and E. Battaglia and A. Bicchi and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {2562, title = {Teaching by Demonstration on Dual-arm Robot using HRI Variable Stiffness Transferring}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics - ROBIO2015}, year = {2015}, pages = {1202-1208}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Zhuhai, China, December 6-9, 2015}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ROBIO.2015.7418935}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7418935/}, author = {C. Yang and P. Liang and Z. Li and A. Ajoudani and C. Su and A. Bicchi} } @article {2158, title = {Tele- Impedance based Assistive Control for a Compliant Knee Exoskeleton: Stiffness Augmentation and Motion Assistance}, journal = {Robotics and Autonomous Systems}, volume = {73 part A}, year = {2015}, note = {

special issue\ "Wearable Robotics"

}, month = {11/2015}, pages = {78-90}, abstract = {

This paper presents a tele-impedance based assistive control scheme for a knee exoskeleton device. The proposed controller captures the user{\textquoteright}s intent to generate task-related assistive torques by means of the exoskeleton in different phases of the subject{\textquoteright}s normal activity. To do so, a detailed musculoskeletal model of the human knee is developed and experimentally calibrated to best match the user{\textquoteright}s kinematic and dynamic behavior. Three dominant antagonistic muscle pairs are used in our model, in which electromyography (EMG) signals are acquired, processed and used for the estimation of the knee joint torque, trajectory and the stiffness trend, in real time. The estimated stiffness trend is then scaled and mapped to a task-related stiffness interval to agree with the desired degree of assistance. The desired stiffness and equilibrium trajectories are then tracked by the exoskeleton{\textquoteright}s impedance controller. As a consequence, while minimum muscular activity corresponds to low stiffness, i.e.\ highly transparent motion, higher co-contractions result in a stiffer joint and a greater level of assistance. To evaluate the robustness of the proposed technique, a study of the dynamics of the human{\textendash}exoskeleton system is conducted, while the stability in the steady state and transient condition is investigated. In addition, experimental results of standing-up and sitting-down tasks are demonstrated to further investigate the capabilities of the controller. The results indicate that the compliant knee exoskeleton, incorporating the proposed tele-impedance controller, can effectively generate assistive actions that are volitionally and intuitively controlled by the user{\textquoteright}s muscle activity.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1016/j.robot.2014.09.027}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921889014002127}, author = {N. Karavas and A. Ajoudani and N G Tsagarakis and J. Saglia and A. Bicchi and D. Caldwell} } @conference {2084, title = {The tactile toolbox}, booktitle = {Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS), 2014 IEEE}, year = {2014}, address = {Houston, TX}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HAPTICS.2014.6775573}, author = {A. Serio and M. Bianchi and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2083, title = {ThimbleSense: A new wearable tactile device for human and robotic fingers }, booktitle = {Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS), 2014 IEEE}, year = {2014}, address = {Houston, TX}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HAPTICS.2014.6775571}, author = {E. Battaglia and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and A. Serio and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2130, title = {ThimbleSense: An Individual-Digit Wearable Tactile Sensor for Experimental Grasp Studies}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation - ICRA 2014}, year = {2014}, pages = {2728 - 2735 }, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = { Hong Kong, May 31 - June 7, 2014}, abstract = {

Measuring contact forces applied by a hand to a grasped object is a necessary step to understand the mysteries that still hide in the unparalleled human grasping ability. Nevertheless, simultaneous collection of information about the position of contacts and about the magnitude and direction of forces is still an elusive task. In this paper we introduce a wearable device that addresses this problem, and can be used to measure generalized forces during grasping. By assembling two supports around a commercial 6-axis force/torque sensor we obtain a thimble that can be easily positioned on a fingertip. The device is used in conjunction with an active marker-based motion capture system to simultaneously obtain absolute position and orientation of the thimbles, without requiring any assumptions on the kinematics of the hand. Finally, using the contact centroid algorithm, introduced in [1], position of contact points during grasping are determined. This paper shows the design and implementation of the device, as well as some preliminary experimental validation.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2014.6907250 }, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6907250}, author = {E. Battaglia and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2307, title = { Three-digit grasp haptic device with variable contact stiffness for rehabilitation and human grasping studies}, booktitle = {22nd Mediterranean Conference of Control and Automation (MED) 2014 }, year = {2014}, pages = {346 - 350}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Palermo, Italy, 16-19 June 2014 }, abstract = {

This paper describes an haptic system designed to vary the stiffness of three contact points in an independent and controllable fashion, by suitably regulating the inner pressure of three pneumatic tactile displays. At the same time, the contact forces exerted by the user are measured by six degree-of-freedom force sensors placed under each finger. This device might be profitably used in hand rehabilitation and human grasping studies. We report and discuss preliminary results on device validation as well as some illustrative measurement examples.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/MED.2014.6961395}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6961395}, author = {Altobelli, A and M. Bianchi and A. Serio and Baud-Bovy, G and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2223, title = {On Time-Optimal Trajectories for Differential Drive Vehicles with Field-Of-View Constraints}, booktitle = {IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC2014)}, year = {2014}, pages = {2191 - 2197}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Los Angeles, USA, December 15-17}, abstract = {

This paper presents the first step toward the study of minimum time trajectories for a differential drive robot, which is equipped with a fixed and limited Field-Of-View (FOV) camera, towards a desired configuration while keeping a given landmark in sight during maneuvers. While several previous works have provided a complete synthesis of shortest paths in case of both nonholonomic and FOV constraints, to the best of our knowledge, this paper represents the first analysis of minimum time trajectories with the two constraints. After showing the extremals of the problem at hand, i.e. straight lines, rotations on the spot, logarithmic spirals and involute of circles, we provide the optimal control laws that steer the vehicle along the path and the cost in terms of time along each extremal. Moreover, we compare some concatenations of extremals in order to reduce the complexity of the problem toward the definition of a sufficient finite set of optimal maneuvers.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, isbn = {978-1-4799-7746-8}, doi = {10.1109/CDC.2014.7039723}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7039723}, author = {Cristofaro, A. and Salaris, P. and L. Pallottino and Giannoni, F. and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1435, title = {Tele-Impedance based Stiffness and Motion Augmentation for a Knee Exoskeleton Device}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2013)}, year = {2013}, pages = {2194 - 2200}, keywords = {Robotics}, url = {10.1109/ICRA.2013.6630872}, author = {N. Karavas and A. Ajoudani and N G Tsagarakis and J. Saglia and A. Bicchi and D. G. Caldwell} } @conference {1666, title = {Teleimpedance Control of a Synergy-Driven Anthropomorphic Hand}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2013}, year = {2013}, month = {November 3-7}, pages = {1985 - 1991}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6696620 }, author = {A. Ajoudani and S. B. Godfrey and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1238, title = {Tele-Impedance: Exploring the Role of Common-Mode and Configuration-Dependant Stiffness}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots}, year = {2012}, pages = {363-369}, address = {Osaka, Japan}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Ajoudani and M Gabiccini and N G Tsagarakis and A Albu-Schaeffer and A. Bicchi} } @article {ATB12, title = {Tele-impedance: Teleoperation with Impedance Regulation Using a Body-Machine Interface}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = { 31 }, year = {2012}, month = {11/2012}, pages = {1643 - 1656}, chapter = {1643}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Ajoudani and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @conference {ATB12, title = {Tele-Impedance: Towards Transferring Human Impedance Regulation Skills to Robots}, booktitle = {International Conference of Robotics and Automation - ICRA 2012}, year = {2012}, month = {May 14 - 18}, pages = {382 - 388 }, address = {Saint Paul, MN, USA}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Ajoudani and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1239, title = {Towards variable impedance assembly: the VSA peg-in-hole}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots}, year = {2012}, address = {Osaka, Japan}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {L. Balletti and A. Rocchi and F. A. W. Belo and M. G. Catalano and M. Garabini and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1242, title = {A truly safely moving robot has to know what injury it may cause}, booktitle = {International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS 2012}, year = {2012}, month = {October 7 - 12}, pages = {5406-5413}, address = {Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {S. Haddadin and S. Haddadin and A. Khoury and T. Rokahr and S. Parusel and R. Burgkart and A. Bicchi and A Albu-Schaeffer} } @conference {ATB11, title = {Tele-Impedance: Preliminary Results on Measuring and Replicating Human Arm Impedance in Tele Operated Robots}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics - ROBIO 2011}, year = {2011}, note = {

Accepted, youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPO6IO7Tr-Q

}, month = {December 7 - 11}, pages = {216 - 223}, address = {Phuket, Thailand}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Ajoudani and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @article {BFP10, title = {Towards a Society of Robots: Behaviors, Misbehaviors, and Security}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, year = {2010}, month = {December}, pages = {26 - 36}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino} } @article {BRB07, title = {Tactile flow explains haptic counterparts of common visual illusions}, journal = {Brain Res Bull.}, volume = {75}, number = {6}, year = {2008}, month = {April 15}, pages = {737-741}, abstract = {

Interaction with the external world requires the ability to perceive dynamic changes in complex sensorial input and react promptly. Here we show that perception of dynamic stimuli in the visual and tactile sensory modalities share fundamental psychophysical aspects that can be explained by similar computational models. In vision, optic flow provides information on relative motion between the individual and the content of percept. For instance, radial patterns of optic flow are used to estimate time before contact with an approaching object4. Similarly, in the tactile modality, radial patterns of stimuli provide information on softness of probed objects3. Optic flow is also invoked to explain several visual illusions, including the well-known "barber-pole" effect10. Here we introduce a computational model of tactile flow, which is intimately related to existing models for the visual counterpart. The model accounts for psychophysical aspects of dynamic tactile perception and predicts illusory phenomena in the tactile domain, analogous to the barber-pole effect. When subjects touched translating pads with differently oriented gratings, they perceived a direction of motion that was significantly biased towards the orientation of the gratings. Therefore, these findings indicate that visual and tactile flow share similarities at the psychophysical and computational level and may be intended for similar perceptive goals. Results of this analysis have impact on the engineering of better haptic and multimodal interfaces for human-computer interaction.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and E. P. Scilingo and E. Ricciardi and P. Pietrini} } @conference {BFDS08, title = {Tolerating Malicious Monitors in Detecting Misbehaving Robots}, booktitle = {IEEE International Workshop on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics}, year = {2008}, pages = {108 - 114}, address = {Tohoku University Aobayama Campus, Sendai, Japan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi and G. Dini and I. M. Savino} } @article {FSB08, title = {Toward Soft Robot you can Depend on}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, year = {2008}, pages = {31 - 41}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {R. Filippini and S. Sen and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {BSDDS05, title = {Tactile Flow and Haptic Discrimination of Softness}, booktitle = {Multi-point Interaction with Real and Virtual Objects}, series = {STAR - Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics}, number = {18}, year = {2005}, pages = {165-176}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {A. Bicchi and E. P. Scilingo and D. Dente and N. Sgambelluri}, editor = {F. Barbagli and D Prattichizzo and K. Salisbury} } @conference {DFB04, title = {Towards Cooperative Visual-Based Localization, Mapping, and Servoing}, year = {2004}, note = {

Proc. IEEE Mediterranean Conf.

}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the problem of navigating an autonomous robot using primarily vision for localizing the robot, building a map of the environment, and navigating through viapoints to goals. A visual servo scheme is used that can steer the wheeled vehicle among images. Goal images do not necessarily correspond to images physically taken from the desired vehicle posture, as servoing to reconstructed virtual images is possible. A topological image map is constructed to support this, based on images grabbed by on-board cameras, along with a global feature-based metric map, using extended Kalman filter techniques. The method also enables a team of multiple vehicles to merge their information, and to coordinate navigation using each other{\textquoteright}s images. Realistic assumptions on limited communication bandwidth between agents and available memory storage are taken into account considering informative, memory-safe maps. Simulations and preliminary experimental results on a laboratory setup are reported.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robics}, author = {A. Danesi and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SSDRB03, title = {Towards a Haptic Black Box: Magnetorheological fluid based display for softness and shape discrimination}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2003}, month = {May}, pages = {2412-2417}, address = {Taipei, Taiwan}, abstract = {

In this paper we propose an innovative prototype of a haptic display for whole-hand immersive exploration. We envision a new concept of haptic display, the Haptic Black Box concept, which can be imagined as a box where the operator can poke his/her bare hand, and interact with the virtual object by freely moving the hand without mechanical constraints. In this way sensory receptors on the whole operator{\textquoteright}s hand would be excited, rather than restricting to just one or few fingertips or phalanges. To progress towards such a challenging goal, magnetorheological (MR) fluids represent a very interesting technology. These fluids are composed of micron-sized, magnetizable particles immersed in a synthetic oil. Exposure to an external magnetic field induces in the fluid a change in rheological behaviour turning it into a near-solid in few milliseconds. By removing the magnetic field, the fluid quickly returns to its liquid state. We briefly report on the design of this device, describe psychophysical experiments to assess performance for softness and shape exploration, and report on the experimental results.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. P. Scilingo and N. Sgambelluri and D. De Rossi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SB-01, title = {Tactile Flow: Does it exist, is it useful and how?}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Worksh. on Electroactive Polymers and Biosystems}, year = {2001}, month = {July}, pages = {142}, address = {Lucca, Italy}, keywords = {Bioengineering, Haptics, Robotics}, author = {E. P. Scilingo and A. Bicchi} } @conference {BBB94-VSLT, title = {Time-Domain Dominance Condition for Decentralized Variable Structure Control of Systems in Input-Output Form}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Workshop on Variable Structure and Lyapunov Techniques}, year = {1994}, address = {Benevento}, keywords = {Autonomous Vehicles, Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Balluchi and A. Balestrino} } @conference {BBL92, title = {Trajectory Planning of Industrial Robots in a Structured Environment}, booktitle = {Int. Conf. on CAD/CAM, Robotics and Factories of the Future}, year = {1992}, address = {Metz, France}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Balestrino and A. Bicchi and A. Landi} } @article {1753, title = {Technique for measuring tightening torque of bolts and similar devices}, year = {1990}, address = {Italy}, issn = {67106 A-90}, author = {A. Bicchi and M. Nicola} } @conference {DBVP85, title = {Tendon Actuated Exploratory Finger With Polymeric, Skin-like Tactile Sensor}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {1985}, address = {St. Louis, MO, USA.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Hands, Robotics, Sensors}, author = {P. Dario and A. Bicchi and F. Vivaldi and P. C. Pinotti} }